An Anthology of American Workwear 2 | AVANT

This issue is dedicated to American Workwear and is a sequel of the first issue, which was published in February 2019.

In it, we tell the story of Chinese immigrants during the Gold Rush, the discovery of rare Levi’s pants from 1880 in a California mine, and of these details which collectors love, like vents holes on work shirts, or the famous “chinstrap.”

Levi Strauss & Co.’s former historian, Lynn Downey, also looks back on her journey, while Taiwanese vintage aficionados explain to us why vintage is rising in Taiwan.

We also converse with Akira Tsuchida, owner of Japanese store Mushroom Vintage, and Michael Harris, the author of Jeans of the Old West.

Each story lets us dive into the history of the United States and offers a modern perspective on the way these clothes have influenced the course of history and continue to interact with our society today.